Former Gates Foundation leader close to confirmation as U.S. budget office chief

A former leader at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is close to confirmation as the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. President Obama nominated Silvia Mathews Burwell to the position in March. On Wednesday she met with the Senate Budget Committee in Washington D.C. “If I am confirmed, my primary focus will be to contribute to achieving balanced deficit reduction, increased efficiency and effectiveness in how government works, and targeted investments that grow the…